You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home
by kat386
Summary: Claire's parents moved their family to the sunny state of Florida to escape the not so sunny past of some of the pack members. Claire has always been a troubled child due to the separation from her imprint. Drugs, alcohol, countless hook ups. She will try just about anything to try and fill the Quil sized hole in her life. Full summary inside.
1. Hello, My Name is Claire

**Claire's parents moved their family to the sunny state of Florida to escape the not so sunny past of some of the pack members. Claire has always been a troubled child due to the separation from her imprint. Drugs, alcohol, countless hook ups. She will try just about anything to try and fill the Quil sized hole in her life. What happens when she runs away from her family to try and discover her past, and figure out what she has been missing her whole life? **

I've never truly been happy. Not since I was a little girl. And what little girl isn't happy? Childhood is easy. You don't know the truth about the world. You've never been chewed up and spit out. You haven't been used. Everything just seems peaceful. You're oblivious to the honest-to-god truth that the world isn't all happy endings. Not everyone gets swept off their feet by some gorgeous Prince Charming. In most cases, things don't get better.

My parents have told me stories of Washington. I haven't been since I was six. I don't remember much about it. Supposedly we had a really good life there. I guess we were one big happy family. I couldn't help but laugh at that. That's the farthest thing from the truth these days.

I have two older brothers, and one older sister. There's Matt (23, he's the oldest of us all). He moved out the second he turned eighteen. He, like the rest of us, was very tired of dealing with my mom and dad's incessant fighting. I haven't seen him since he took me out for my 15th birthday almost three years ago. Then there is Mason (20). He's been in and out of jail since he was 13. He's currently in federal prison for money laundering. And then there's Cara (19). Pregnant at sixteen, and then again at seventeen and a half. Two different baby daddies. She lives with her current boyfriend in Alabama.

My Mom and Dad are just about as messed up as the rest of us. Mom is a major alcoholic. Dad is crazy abusive. They travel a lot for work. My dad is an archeologist and my mom is a photographer. They travel the world, going from dig-site to dig-site, and my mom captures it all on her Canon.

Now you're probably wondering what's wrong with me. I'm Claire Young. I'm seventeen and eleven and a half months. I love drinking, smoking, and partying. I wasn't always this way. I was a good girl. I kept my mouth shut, did what I was supposed to. But I was never happy. And I don't believe that's fair. So one day, I decided to not give a fuck what anyone else wants. Life is short, and I want to be able to enjoy my time on this Earth. I've always felt this yearning to go back home. I've always felt like I was missing out on something there. Whenever I've asked my Dad if we could take a trip there he'd shove me around for a few day. I stopped asking when I turned thirteen and he pushed me down the stairs. Hospitalized for five days, broken leg and wrist. He told them I fell off my bike. They were gone ten months out of the year anyway.

I smoothed out my straight hair. It was almost to my butt. And I was proud. My mom always made me cut it short when I was younger. But when I turned fifteen that's when her drinking really picked up. She stopped caring about what I do. I was wearing a red velvet circle skirt that sat at my thin waist, and rested nicely on my hips. It stopped a few inches under my butt. I paired it with a black crop top that tied around my neck, and black platform Loubitons.

My doorbell rang just as I was spraying on my perfume.

"Are you ready?" JC asked hurriedly. "Claire why are you dressed so nice? We're running away, not going on a date."

"My parents won't be home for another five months, and I'll be eighteen in two weeks. So by the time they realize I'm gone, it won't have been running away. It's simply an adult going back to her home roots."

He nodded his head at me, "Yeah, yeah. Let's go, Princess."

I didn't know how long I'd be gone so I packed four large suitcases of clothes and shoes and jewelry and makeup. He helped me load them into my Land Rover, and with that, we left.

**Pleeeeeeease review and let me know what you think! I've had this idea in my head for at least a year and I finally decided to start a story with it. Let me know if you want more xoxo**

**P.S. I know this chapter was mostly just character introduction, but the next chapters the story will really begin to unfold.**


	2. So We Meet Again

**Btw in the last chapter I meant to say she has an Escalade but I forgot to change it in my proofreading. So sorry about that, darlings. Don't forget to review!**

**And by the way my Polyvore is janerem1992 if you wanna see some visuals of outfits I describe!**

**Stay fierce xoxo**

JC and I road tripped from the hot, muggy state of Florida, all the way to the wet, rainy state of Washington. We made a trip of it and spread it out among three weeks. We went hiking in the mountains and jumped off of waterfalls in the Carolinas. We visited famous landmarks, stayed at the most beautiful hotels, and went to the craziest parties either of us had ever experienced. I had to drive a majority of the time because JC wasn't very comfortable with driving my Escalade. So we had to stop often.

We finally made it to Forks, which from my parents' recounts of my childhood was close to the Reservation where we lived. "JC, look up directions to the La Push Reservation."

He pulled out his phone, "Why are you so jumpy?"

I sighed, "I'm just starting to get nervous. I don't even know what I'm expecting to find there."

He looked at me thoughtfully, "Well, tell me why you wanted to come back here."

"Ever since I can remember I've always felt something pulling me back here. It feels like I have this magnet in my tummy, and the other magnet is here. I've always felt like I would've been so much happier if my parents never moved us all away. I know how stupid that sounds, but I would regret it so much if I grew old and never found out what was waiting here for me. Plus, I have family here. I've never known any of my family other than my parents and siblings. It'd be nice to meet them."

"I think it's sweet," he chuckled. "Take the next left."

We both smiled when we saw an old, peeling sign that said _Welcome to La Push_. It was rather cute, in the shape of what I assume was meant to be a wolves head.

I put on my blinker and pulled into a gas station. "I'm going to get a pack of cigarettes, and a drink, want anything?"

"I really need to take a leak!" He yelled, jumping out of my car before I even came to a complete stop.

We didn't have too much driving to do today. We had stopped in a little Bed and Breakfast in Port Angeles. It was a really cute city, so we had gotten up this morning and got dressed and shopped a little before getting back on the road. I was wearing a cute gray wrap around skirt, a white crop top, some black heels and my favorite black MK bag.

I stepped out onto the gravel ground and listened to the crunching underneath my feet as I walked up to the double glass doors of the small gas station. There were three boys behind the counter and one girl. That seemed very unnecessary considering it looked like we were the first costumers of the day at it was nearing three in the afternoon. But I greeted them with a warm, "Good afternoon" and a cheery smile as I searched for a vitamin water. JC grabbed a Mountain Dew and a bag of beef jerky, and we met back up at the front counter. I heard one of the boys mutter, "Holy shit, call Q. Seriously fucking call Q right fucking now." I glanced at the name tag he was wearing. Seth. "What the fuck is wrong with you, man." One of the other boys said. I looked at his nametag as well. Brady. Then he glanced at me and booked it towards a phone that was hanging on a wall near what I assumed was a storage closet.

I began digging through my bag in search of my wallet, "Aha!" I smiled when I finally found it. When I looked up I saw that all the employees were staring at me. When I say staring, I mean dead-ass, eye contact, no shame, full on staring.

JC, oblivious to the four people giving me the eye, started talking to me, "Hey Claire," the girl took in a sharp breath at the mention of my name, "You got me?" He asked, referring to if I would pay for his snack.

I smiled at him, "Of course. Want the keys?" I asked, handing them to him without even waiting for the answer. His grandma called him every day at exactly three because that's when he always got home from school. She didn't know that he was no longer living with his Uncle, who had kicked him out.

He grabbed them and ran out to my large SUV without a glance back. They were still all staring at me when I looked back. "Everything okay?" I gulped. They were starting to make me nervous.

The girl (her nametag read Leah) shook her head a little as if willing herself to come back to reality. "Yes, of course," she plastered on a fake smile, "Will this be all?"

"Leah what the fuck!" Brady yelled. "I just talked to him, he's on his way. He told me that we better not be wrong."

"There's no way we are," she shot back icily.

"Ummm, I also need a pack of cigarettes. Marlboro Reds, please," I smiled sweetly. It was nice to finally be able to use my real ID when I bought cigarettes. People often questioned my fake one and it made me really nervous.

"You smoke," the last one scoffed. I finally got a look at his nametag. Paul.

"Okay, Listen," I said, finally having enough, "As much as I would love to sit here and discuss my life choices and cancerous habits with four very odd strangers that love to stare, but I should get going. So can I please just get my things and be on my way?"

Leah rang everything up but before I could swipe my blue debit card she asked for my ID.

"Sorry, I can't give you these cigarettes, this ID is fake."

I rolled my eyes, "What?" I nearly shrieked. "No it's not. I turned eighteen last week. This is ridiculous what the fuck."

"It's the law. Don't get mad at us!" Seth exasperated.

"But it's my real ID. Okay," I took three, calming breaths. "I'm really trying not to lose my patience here, just give me my things, and I will be on my way."

Leah spoke up again, "We could call the cops on you, Claire… I mean, I think that's your name. But luckily for you the owner of this gas station will be here any minute. So we'll let him decide what he wants to do with you."

"Ugh!" I stomped my foot. "This is just stupid."

"There he is now," Seth seemed relieved.

I looked to my left at the man that was now entering the building. He was tall, I'd say probably 6'3, a very stark contrast to my small stature of 5'2. He had slightly shaggy, jet black hair. He was really muscular, but not so buff to wear he was stalky. He was lean and strong looking. He had the most beautiful chocolate brown eyes that looked absolutely lovely against his russet skin. He was very, very attractive.

And I knew him. I remembered him from when I was a child. Until I was fourteen I asked my mom and dad about him and the wolves. They told me that it wasn't real. They told me that my mind had made them up to try and help me cope with the huge move away from family. I cried almost every night until I was twelve for him. And all this time, he was here. I was right all along.

He was staring at me. Almost drinking the sight of me in. "Claire," he breathed.

I took in a sharp breath, "Quil."

I felt very overwhelmed. My vision started to blur and my feet felt unstable.

His eyes widened when I spoke his name. "You remember me?"

I nodded my head. And then I turned to the employees. And, I realized I remember them too. Nowhere near as well as Quil, but I have faint memories with them. At family gatherings. On the beach. At bonfires, picnics, birthdays.

I nodded my head.

So many memories came back to me in a rush. The werewolves. My family. My childhood home. All these things my parents had finally convinced after years were ways that my mind helped me deal with a move across the country. They were real.

I felt tears well up in my eyes before everything went black.


	3. Quil's POV

**So this chapter is going to be in Quil's POV. Not sure how many chapters I will do like this but it's important for you all to see his thoughts when Brady calls him. Thanks to those who reviewed ****J**

When Claire was taken from us I was shattered. I spent the majority of the first three years as a wolf. I traveled the country in search of her and her family. Sam finally convinced me to come home when my grandfather got sick. I never gave up hope though. I always thought that she would find her way back to me.

When my grandfather passed away, he left me his estate, and all of his money. Although most people would never know, I came from wealth. I invested a small amount of the money into a gas station in Seattle, and I lived part time there, and part time in La Push. When my investment began to pay off, I bought up the only gas station in La Push, and put all the wolves to work there. It helped make us look normal. Eventually, I owned five gas stations, and then ten. I named them OQC. Old-Quil-Claire. The two most important people that ever came into my life.

It was hard for me to carry on with life without Claire. But I tried because I knew she would never just want me to lay down and die. I kept to myself for the most part. But I never once ever gave up hope that Claire would come back to me.

I was in my truck when Brady called me. "Hey, Brad. What's up, man?"

"Please, god, tell me you are near OQC. Please tell me you are in La Push today," He sounded breathless.

"I have a meeting at the bank in fifteen minutes. I just pulled out of my driveway. What's wrong?"

"Quil, Claire is here. We don't know why, but she's here with a friend. Quil, fucking come now. We can only stall her so long." My heart stopped. I felt tears well up in my eyes. "Quil, man, she's fucking gorgeous. Seriously, she could be a goddamn model."

I didn't even know what to say. My heart began to race. "I'm coming. You better not be wrong. If you're wrong I'll kill you."

I hung up without another word. My hands were shaking. Claire was here. I drove 30 miles per hour over the speed limit and I was there within 3 minutes.

My legs felt like jello when I stepped out of my truck. I could feel the pull in my tummy grow stronger. I already knew it was her because I started to feel whole again.

I took a few deep breaths before I opened the door.

Brady was right. She's stunning. She's the most gorgeous woman I've ever laid my eyes on. She was little. Couldn't be much taller than 5 feet. She had dark brown hair that was pulled back away from her striking face. It was long, if I had to guess I'd say well passed her waist. I would recognize those big green eyes anywhere. They still looked as round and innocent as I remembered. Her lips were plump and pink. She had tanned skin, and French-manicured fingers. She was definitely a woman now. She had curves. Her chest was, well, you could say she was blessed with a chest. She had a tiny waist and plentiful hips and bottom. Her legs looked like they went on for days, which was surprising due to how short she was. Although I'm sure the heels were helping with that.

I couldn't stop staring at her. She was breath-taking. "Claire," I couldn't help but speak her name. I knew she wouldn't remember me. She was only six when her parents took her and her siblings away.

She was staring at me just as intensely as I was staring at her. "Quil." My heart pattered at the sound of my name. I never in a million years thought she'd remember me.

"You remember me?" I was shocked.

She didn't say anything, just nodded her head. I was struck with the thought that we probably could've handled this better. I'm sure she was feeling overwhelmed. I was about to ask her if she wanted to take a seat, when her eyes started to roll back.

"Claire?" I asked, panic shooting through my tone.

Then she fainted.

**Not going to post the next chapter until I get five more reviews. Yeah, I"m evil.**


	4. Smoke Break

The first thing I noticed was all the voices buzzing around me. I was resting on something soft.

"We can't take her to the hospital. What if she wakes up and starts randomly spewing tribe secrets?" It was a girl's voice.

"What the fuck are you people talking about? Tribe secrets! She needs to see a doctor. She wouldn't just randomly pass out! You people are crazy. Just let me bring my friend to the hospital." It was JC.

"Listen, you need to calm down. Claire is in safe hands here. Just take some deep damn breaths." I thought it was Quil but I couldn't be sure.

"No, we don't know you people. I'm taking her to the hospital."

"Hey," it was definitely Quil. "Claire is much safer with us than she is with you." He sounded really angry. "She does know us. We're family friends. Her Uncle is our… he's one of our tribal leaders, you could say. We knew her parents and siblings before she moved away."

My eyes fluttered open. I was laid across Quil's lap, and he was cradling me against the soft fabric of his shirt. I felt dried up tear tracks on my cheeks.

"Claire, are you okay?" Quil asked, clearly very worried.

Seth offered me a hand and he helped me stand up. I didn't say a word to anyone, just grabbed the pack of cigarettes and a lighter out of a little box on the counter. I walked out to the front of the building, sat on the wooden bench, lit up and started puffing on the cigarette.

I didn't even hear the chiming of the bells as JC came to sit next to me. "Claire, what the hell is going on? Can you please explain to me what just happened?"

"You should go to a hotel. Take my car." I handed him the keys.

"What? I'm not going to leave you here with them. Claire, come on, let's go. Something about this just doesn't sit right with me."

I flicked the last little stub of my cigarette onto the ground and JC stomped the sparks out. I lit another one.

"They're good people, JC. They're old friends." I gave him my credit card. "Text me the name of the hotel and room number. Quil will give me a ride. We have to catch up on some things."

Quil cleared his throat from beside me, "Twelve years of things." I hadn't even heard him come out.

JC looked skeptical but he kissed me on the cheek and climbed up into my Escalade.

We were silent for a few minutes before he finally broke me out of my stupor. "Claire, how is it even possible that you remember me?"

I sighed, "When my parents moved us away, I cried for you and asked for you every night until I was fourteen. I asked for the others too but not as much as I asked for you. They told me that you weren't real." I could feel tears well up in my eyes. "They told me that my mind had made you guys up as a way to cope with such a big move." I wiped the tears away that were rolling down my face. "I can't believe that they watched their daughter cry herself to sleep for years, and they looked me dead in the eye and tried to make me think that I was crazy."

He sighed, "How much about us do you remember? About my friends and me, I mean."

"Well, I remember that you're wolves, and you protect the reservation."

I realized he was looking at me. He smiled at me, "I always knew you'd find your way back home."

I let out a nervous giggle. "I always wanted to come home, but my parents never wanted me to. We used to get in fights about it. Hey, Quil?"

"Yes, Claire-Bear?"

"Why did they move us away in the first place?"

He cleared his throat, stood up and held his hand out, as if asking me to take it. I flicked the cigarette out on the ground and stomped it out with the toe of my shoe. He helped me stand up from the bench. "Let me take you out for lunch and we can catch up on things."

"Alright," I smiled.

He led me to his truck, and I vaguely noticed how the emptiness in my chest was starting to fill up already. Was being back already having an effect on me?

**Or is it a certain someone that's making her feel better? I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine. I know I said I wasn't going to post this until I had five more reviews, but I do appreciate those that did review and favorite. I won't hold this chapter from you guys. I know it's short but the next one will be longer. Thank you dolls! Review xoxo.**


	5. Lunch Date

Quil took me to this really cute diner in Port Angeles. We made the hour drive, and he told me all about everyone in the pack. Who had kids since I left, who married and who imprinted. Then he explained imprinting to me and it just seemed absolutely lovely.

I've spent years searching for something or someone to help fill this missing piece of me. To just have it thrown at you, I can't even imagine how wonderful that would be.

Quil smiled a little sadly as I swooned over the thought of being imprinted on. "Wow," I could hear the smile in my own voice. "That sounds amazing."

He chuckled, "It's pretty great, but sometimes it can be a bit heart breaking."

I cleared my throat, "Umm you've imprinted?" I ignored the pang in my chest.

"Oh, well no. I just- well I just- I'm speaking from what I've heard through the other guys."

"Ahh, right. You can hear each other's thoughts." I sighed, "I'll get the hang of this eventually."

The waiter brought me my strawberry milkshake and Quil his water. He looked at me and flashed a smile. One that he was obviously used to pulling girls into his grasp. I rolled my eyes. "Can I help you with anything else?"

"No, thank you," I said politely without making eye contact.

"So," Quil began, "tell me about what you've done since you moved."

I smiled, "That's most of my life. You're going to have to be more specific than that."

"Okay, tell me about school. Tell me everything. I want to know everything."

I felt my heart thud, because for the first time that I can ever remember, I felt like he genuinely wanted to know everything there was about me.

"I went to Rainsborough Elementary. Had my first kiss there with a boy named Roscoe. I met JC in second grade. We both had Mrs. Kuney and we bonded over our love for Oreos. We've been best friends ever since. By sixth grade I knew that I hated school. I started middle school at Polkner Middle but I ended up transferring before the end of my seventh grade year because I got bullied there really bad. I then went to Native West and I finished out middle school there. After that I went to high school at Rover High. I took a bunch of online classes, I worked my ass off so that I could graduate in three years. I ended up doing it. I graduated second in my class, with all honors. I applied to a lot of colleges. I got accepted to a lot of colleges. Princeton, Stetson, UNF, Brown. But I never figured out what I wanted to do. So I declined all the schools I was accepted to. I decided to take a year or two off to discover myself."

"And that's how you ended up here," he guessed.

"Nope," I replied as the waiter set my burger and fries in front of me, and Quil's BLT with chips. "Thank you," I told the boy before continuing my conversation with Quil. "I ended up here because I had always wanted to come back. But we were never allowed to. Anytime my siblings or I would ask we would get yelled at."

"How are your siblings?" He asked through a mouthful of his sandwich.

I laughed, "Just as fucked up as I am."

His eyes widened, "You'd say you're fucked up?"

"Without a doubt."

"Why?"

"Drugs. Smoking. Drinking. Partying. Boys. Abusive dad. Alcoholic mom."

"Things would have been so much different if they never left. If they never took you guys away."

I nodded in agreement, "That's why I've always wanted to come back here. I've always, for as long as I can remember, felt like I would be happy here. I've always thought that there was something here that I was missing in Florida."

He smiled really big but I didn't question why. "Florida, wow. How was it there?"

"Hot, humid, and lots of old people." I laughed at myself. "I'm blessed. My parents have really good jobs. We lived in a nice house. I have a nice car. I've just never been happy. I've always been searching for something. That's why I started partying when I was thirteen, and hooking up with guys. And going out and getting fucked up. It's how I've tried searching for something to make me feel better about myself." I cleared my throat. "I'm sorry, that was probably way heavier than you wanted."

He shook his head vigorously, "When I said I want to know everything, I meant it."

I raised one eyebrow. "I'm terrified of clowns, birds, and people in mascot costumes. My weaknesses are pizza, milkshakes- well just any ice cream in general- good books, and hot baths." I continued on my rant, but stopped when I noticed he was staring pointedly over my shoulder. I glanced behind me and only took little notice to the group of guys staring in our direction.

"Ya know, a lot of boys like to look at you," he just about growled.

"Oh, yeah, you'll get used to the stares eventually," I winked playfully. He was still staring. "Quil, guys look at me all the time. I'm used to it."

"That doesn't make it okay," he mumbled. "I swear to god boys don't know how to treat a girl anymore."

I sighed, "So any girls in your life?" I tried to swallow my curiosity.

He chuckled, "Not for a very, very long time." He glanced at me, "But there's this new girl in town, so I don't know."

And for the first time since I was eleven, I blushed at a guy hitting on me.


	6. Passenger Seat Talks

**Sorry for the long wait! I've been super busy. Please let me know what you think xoxo**

Quil and I talked all throughout lunch. We sat there for almost two hours. The waiter continued to make eyes at me, and flirt very blatantly. Quil was growing really agitated, so I suggested that we headed back to La Push.

The blonde waiter came to give us our check, and winked at me. I rolled my eyes again.

"Something wrong?" Quil asked.

"He's such a player. I can tell just by the way that he acts that he gets a lot of girls," I rolled my eyes again.

He chuckled, "And that bothers you because..?"

"Because, guys like that think I'm going to fall into their arms. And that's not how it works with me. I don't fall into anyone's arms. I don't chase anyone."

He smirked, "Then what's it like with you?"

"If a guy wants to play a game, then I'll give him a game to play. But I like sweet boys. Shy ones. I've had way too much experience with tool bags." He looked sad when I said the last part. I cleared my throat and laid down thirty bucks. "You ready?"

He picked my money up off the table, laid down his own, and grabbed my hand before I could argue that I wanted to pay. He slipped my money back into my own hand and led the way to his truck. I huffed. He grinned at me. He had the most gorgeous smile. White teeth that stood out brilliantly against his tanned skin. "You didn't really think I was going to let you pay, did you?" He asked as he opened the passenger door for me and gave me a hand in.

"Well I sorta hoped," I replied as he got in his seat.

The ride back to La Push was almost exactly the same as the time we spent at the diner. We talked about anything and everything.

"You've broken a lot of hearts, haven't you?" He asked, with a somber smile. It would be hard to explain the expression he had on his face. It wasn't a sad smile, but it wasn't a happy one either. It was almost as if he were reminiscing.

I shrugged. "You could say that, I guess. But I think I've had my heart broken more." He raised his eyebrows as if telling me to continue. "Any guy that I dated, I dated for the same reason that I smoked, or drank, or did drugs. Or went to insane parties. I wanted someone to make me feel whole. I didn't want to feel empty and alone anymore. I could be in a sea of people and still feel like a lonely little guppy." I sighed. "So whenever I realized that it wasn't going to work out, I would be devastated. Because with any new guy that I began a relationship with, came a little piece of hope that he would be my saving grace. He would be the one that would make me just, happy. He would be the one that would stitch me up, and love, and cherish, and take care of me. Whenever it didn't happen, a little piece of hope in me died." I was now staring out the window, my eyes following the metal railing whooshing beside us. "I came here in hopes that I would feel better. That I could get on a straight and narrow path. That I could just be happy with myself, and not feel like I needed any substance, or any person to feel joy in life." I smiled a little sadly. "Dale Carnegie once said 'It isn't what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.' I didn't like the life I was living. I wasn't proud of it. So I'm changing it."


	7. Claire Has Cooties

**Sorry for the long absence, but I haven't gotten any sort of feedback, so I've just been taking my time and making sure I really like the work I'm producing. It doesn't seem like anyone is waiting on the next post so no harm done. I hope you enjoy xoxo ( cgi/set?id=164977592 to see Claire's outfit in this chapter)**

**Much love,**

**Kat386**

I settled in with the pack and my family rather well. It was as if I had known these people my entire life. They were very welcoming towards me. My Aunt Emily cried for about three days straight. She said she'd never forgive my mom for taking me and my siblings away from her and I told her that the feeling was mutual.

I've mostly just been getting to know everyone. I've been spending a lot of time with my cousins, and all the kids of the pack really. They seem to really like me. Emily and Sam had my cousins, Hannah (11) and Roxy (9) and finally Alyssa (6). Jared and Kim had only one boy, Joshua who had just celebrated his tenth birthday. Jacob and Nessie had little Sarah Riley. Finally, Paul and Rachel had Tanner and Rayne, they were twins and they were about to turn ten.

Between my cousins, and Quil, I didn't have much time to myself. I was staying in the spare room at my Aunt and Uncle's, but I had an appointment to see a few apartments in the area. The house was always crowded, and although I had already grown to love the pack, I knew that I was going to be enrolling in classes in the spring semester, and I would need to have a quiet place to study and get work done.

I strolled up to Quil's front door. I was wearing a fitted, white crop-top, and a tight, patterned skirt, with white pumps. I knocked once before coming in, "Quil, are you ready yet?" I tapped my foot impatiently. I had been in La Push for about a month and a half, but Quil and I have already grown insanely close. He knows more about me than JC does.

"Do you always look gorgeous?" He asked dreamily.

I winked at him, "Yes, so you should get used to it."

He smiled and grabbed his wallet and keys off his kitchen counter. I lead the way out to my car.

"There's three apartments and one town house to see today."

All of the apartments were shitty. They were either really cute, and in a sketchy part of town, or almost unlivable, and in a good part of town. I was starting to feel defeated when I pulled up to the town house. It was actually in Forks, which was about a twenty minute drive from La Push, but it was closer to Seattle which is where I would have to commute two days a week to school.

I fell in love with it the minute I pulled up to it, and Quil could tell. "Don't get your hopes up," he said as he opened my door and helped me out. "We don't know what it looks like on the inside." That we didn't. But the outside was beautiful. It was made of classic, red brick and there was three levels. The first had the metal, black door and two big windows, framed on either side with black shutters. The second and third floor both had three large windows, with identical shutters. To get to the door you had to walk up about seven, black cement, stairs.

Guess what? It was just as cute on the inside. It must have recently been built, because it pretty modern compared to everything else that was in Forks. The first floor held the foyer, a small bathroom in the corner, a large family room, with a cute little kitchen and a decent sized dining room. The second floor held two spare rooms, two bathrooms and an office space. The whole third floor was the master bedroom, with a giant closet (even though I was already designing the second floor to be a huge closet!) and a grand master bathroom, with a claw foot tub and a large shower.

Yeah, I signed the lease before I even left.

"I can start moving my stuff in at the end of this month," I was telling Aunt Emily. "So I guess I'm going to have to fly home and get my stuff."

"Sweetie, have you even talked to your parents about this?" I knew she secretly just wasn't ready for me to move out.

I nodded, "We argued about it for two weeks, but my mom told me I'm eighteen now and I have the right to do as I please, just like my siblings did. Plus, she's not going to tell my dad." Aunt Emily chuckled. "She said as long as I'm going to school, and working towards a degree, they will continue to financially support me."

She sighed, "Well okay, if this is really what you want."

"Aunt Em, it's twenty minutes away. You can come over as much as you want. And I'll be in La Push all the time anyway to see-" I paused for a second. I had to restrain myself from saying Quil's name. "To see you and the girls."

She smiled, "And Quil." She threw in. "Mostly Quil."

"Stop," I said, feigning anger.

She rolled her eyes playfully, "It's not a secret. You loooove him." She pursed her lips together and started making kissing noises. "You want to kiss him." She started singing it. "You want to love him, you want to kiss him, you want to love him, you want to kiss him."

I started giggling wildly. "Who wants to kiss who?" Embry asked from behind me.

I shrieked in total surprise, "Embry, what the fuck." I grabbed my chest dramatically.

"Who do you want to kiss, Claire?" Josh asked me as he and Kim walked in the door.

"You!" I sang happily as I grabbed him and kissed him on the cheek.

"UGHHHHHHHH," he yelled as he scrubbed the spot my lips had touched him. "COOTIES!" He darted for the back door, and I started chasing after him. I grabbed him and tackled him to the ground. I kissed his other cheek and laughed as he again threw a fit and started yelling, "CLAIRE GAVE ME COOTIES. DON'T TOUCH ME! IM CONTAGIOUS!"


	8. Got abs?

I knocked on Claire's door. She answered the door sleepily, still dressed in her pajama's which consisted of a green jersey, and only a pair of panties. My eyes widened. I reached out to pull down the shirt. "This is what you answer your door in?" I ushered her back inside her new townhouse.

She pulled a pair of pajama pants that were laying across the couch. "Sorry," she yawned, "I had a rough night."

I sat down next to her on the couch, and she flopped against me. "What's the matter? First night living on your own wasn't any fun?"

She shook her head no, "I never got the chance to change the locks since the last people moved out. I was freaked out all night. I locked myself in my room and I was too scared to leave."

"What? Why didn't you tell me? Are you crazy? I would've done it for you." That immediately shook me out of my day dream of Claire in her panties. When I received no response, I looked down to see her already dozing off again, curled up against my side. I sighed. She was so beautiful. Even after just waking up. Her hair was in a long braid that fell almost to her bottom, a few pieces were unorderly being that she was most likely up the majority of the night.

I let her sleep snuggled up against me for a few more hours. I didn't mind just watching her. I didn't mind it at all actually. After so many years of not having her, I soaked up every single moment that I had the honor of spending with her. She woke up with a yawn and big stretch.

"How long was I out?" her cute voice chimed.

"A couple hours. Two or three. I'm not sure. Do you feel any better?"

Her big green eyes stared back at me. "Yes. I'm sorry, I just felt much safer with you here." She kissed my cheek, and pulled away, but she lingered for a second. I turned my face towards her and our eyes locked. For a brief second, our lips were so close I thought they were going to softly brush up against each other. She pulled away though, stood up, and stretched before she declared that we should go to lunch and a movie, and see if any of her cousins wanted to go with us.

Hannah, Roxy, and Rayne ended up going with us and of course we saw some chick flick. Those girls absolutely adored Claire. Any chance they could be around her they scooped up. Claire suggested that we go back to her place and order a few pizzas instead of going out.

"Oh, Claire we have to have a sleep over there soon!" Hannah cried, which then led to three squealing little girls in the back seat of my truck. Four if you included Claire, who was sitting in the front next to me. I chuckled at her excitement.

"We'll get all the cousins to have a sleep over! And Nessie! It'll be so much fun!" Claire yelled.

I shook my head at her, "I can't believe you're eighteen years old and getting excited over a sleepover."

Claire rolled her eyes dramatically. "Quil, listen," she turned her head slightly and spoke to the girls, "girls you too, this is important. It's your first piece of girl advice from your old cousin Claire. Sleepovers never get old. Ever. You are never too old to have a sleepover with your friends and if you're dating a guy that says you are, dump him. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life."

I sighed as I parked the car in front of Claire's house. "Well, whatever night you girls are doing that, I will be bored out of my mind."

Hannah giggled, "Why's that? Because you'll miss Claire too much?" She made smooching noises. Claire turned from where she was unlocking her door and raised her eyebrows suggestively at me.

Within an hour we had our pizzas and the girls were huddled around Claire's TV. I was leaning up against Claire's legs, and she was spread out on the couch, a cup of sweet tea in her hand. She was dozing off again, but every time I tried to take the cup from her, she suddenly woke up and claimed she wasn't asleep. "I'm fine, Quil. Stop being such a worry wart."

It was only ten minutes later that she fell asleep, dropping her cup on the ground so that it bounced up and spilled tea all over my white shirt.

Her eyes snapped open as I quickly stood up, grabbing the cup to prevent it from spilling anymore.

"I'm sorry, Quil," Claire giggled. "You should take that off and let me wash it for you, otherwise it'll get sticky."

I walked with her to the laundry room and took my shirt off there, handing it over to her. I watched as she put it in with some of her own white laundry, added the detergent, fabric softener, and bleach. "I don't have another shirt with me to wear," I told her as she pressed the button that began the cycle.

We walked out of her laundry room back towards her cousins, "That's okay, you look better without one." She said so quietly that I thought she had momentarily forgotten about my heightened senses. But when she turned around and winked at me, I knew that it was definitely meant for me to hear.


	9. Naughty School Girl

**In all my Quil/Claire stories I always depict Claire as a sweet, innocent girl. I think I'm going to have some fun with the fact that she's very free spirited in this one. I hope you all enjoy!**

**Xoxo, **

**Kat386**

I was doing everything in my power to make Quil weak in the knees. That meant short skirts, tight dresses, and low cut tops. Today I was rocking what I would like to call Naughty School Girl Chic. It consisted of a short, red and black plaid skirt that rested on my hips, a white, silky crop top, a pair of chunky white heels and an MK black shoulder bag.

JC and I made our way up the little stone path to my Aunt and Uncle's house. There was quite a few of the pack there, and I assumed Quil to be there, but he wasn't answering my calls. I knocked once before letting myself in.

"Hey, Aunt Em!" I sang happily, kissing her on the cheek before taking Sarah Riley out of her arms. "Where are Jake and Ness?" I asked purely out of curiosity.

"Oh they wanted some alone time so I told them I'd watch Ri-Ri for the day. I figured what's one more rugrat running around my house?" She shrugged her shoulders, and then turned back to the stove where it seemed she was making muffins or cupcakes or something. "So what are you two planning on getting up to today?"

"Well," I sighed, hoisting Sarah up higher on my hip and bouncing her gently, "I was hoping Quil would be here but I guess I was wrong."

"Oh," Aunt Emily breathed, "I think he was visiting an old friend today." She laughed but it didn't reach her eyes.

"Is everything okay..?" I trailed off. She was acting weird. Something was definitely up.

"What?" She chuckled again. "Everything is great, sweetie." Her voice shook a bit.

"Where is he? What is he doing?" My heart dropped. I knew something was wrong. I started having flashbacks to all the guys that have fucked me over. "Aunt Emily tell me what is going on." I brought Sarah to her play pen and set her down. "Fine then, if you're not going to tell me then I'm just going to go to his house.

She sighed, "Claire, it's not my place to tell you."

"Do you want me to take you back to the hotel?" I asked JC.

He grabbed my hand. "Claire, you should think about this before you do anything crazy." He began rubbing his thumb on my hand and it made me extremely uncomfortable.

JC had liked me for a very long time. I had known since seventh grade that he had a crush on me, and after I had made it clear to him in the tenth grade that we would never have more than a friendship, we had mutually decided to stay friends. I mean, he was my best friend. I would just never see him in that light. But ever since we had come to La Push, it had gotten much more apparent that I don't think JC would ever fully accept the fact that his feelings for me would never be reciprocated. I pulled my hand from his grasp. "It's a simple yes or no question, J." He was growing more and more jealous of Quil and I's relationship that was growing stronger and stronger.

When he didn't answer, I took it as a no, and walked out the door without a word to anyone. It was a short five minute drive to Quil's house from Aunt Emily's. The houses on the reservation weren't exactly close together, they were probably a mile or two apart, usually separated by rolling fields or thick forests. There were never really many cars on the road though, and there were only eight cops in total that watched over both Forks and La Push, so you were at liberty to drive as fast and recklessly as you wanted to.

When I pulled up to Quil's house, I got butterflies in the pit of my stomach. I was suddenly nervous. I mean, I didn't want to come off as crazy, but I didn't want Quil to turn out to be just another one of the guys that broke my heart.

I took a deep breath, before getting out and listening to the crunch of the gravel under my heels. I knocked on the door, which felt odd considering I hadn't done that at Quil's house since the first few weeks I had known him.

He answered the door quickly, his eyes already wide. "Claire! What..what are you doing here?"

"I called you like fifteen times and you didn't answer. And when I went to Emily's she was acting really weird. I want to know what's up. Tell me what's going on."

"Claire, it's nothing. I mean, I'm just visiting with… with a friend." He started mumbling.

I pushed the door open further so that I could see further into the house. I took a step in, pushing passed him. There was a blonde girl sitting on his couch, with big boobs, and big blue eyes. She stood up and smiled brightly at me. "Hi! My name is Trisha," she stuck her hand out as if asking me to shake it. I just stared at it like she was holding out a ticking bomb. She narrowed her eyes at me, "Quil, who is your friend?" I felt tears spring to my eyes. "I'm Quil's ex," she directed towards me, "we dated in high school. We've been reconnecting."

My heart was pounding out of my chest. I turned towards Quil and looked at him, he was shirtless and I laughed with no humor as I realized what "reconnecting" meant. "Well," I declared, my voice extremely shaky, "I'll leave you both to it then."

"Claire," Quil pleaded with me. "Please listen to me, this isn't what it seems like. That sounds so fucking cliché but I promise you this isn't what it seems." He followed me to my car. "Claire, please, please. Claire I can't lose you."

He went to grab my hand, but I pulled it away like his was on fire. "Don't touch me. Don't come around anymore, Quil." I was crying now. "You are the last person I thought would ever hurt me. I-I trusted you so fucking much. I thought you were different. I feel so fucking stupid. Don't ever talk to me again you-you-you," I paused for a second. "I can't even think of a word to describe how I feel about you right now."

He was crying now too. "Claire." I closed the door on his words and began to drive off. Once I passed his house far enough so I knew I was out of sight, I pulled off to the shoulder of the road and let my sobs go. My sobs were accompanied by a wolf's howl.

After an hour of sitting in my car, I called up JC's cell. I spoke before he even said anything. "There's a party in Seattle tonight. I heard some girls talking about it in the store yesterday. It's supposed to be crazy. Start getting ready. I'll pick you up at nine."


	10. Ehhh, what's up, Doc?

**Hope you all have been enjoying!**

I had called Claire's phone probably fifty times. It was nearing three in the morning. I drove passed her place a good five or six times waiting for her SUV to pull back into her spot. I didn't know if it was the imprint connection, or just the fact that she hated me right now, but I had a terrible feeling. Something was wrong.

Trisha had been trying to get into contact with me after her short, five year marriage had ended a year ago. I had been trying to shake her off ever since I got her first phone call. Emily told me that maybe if I explained to her nicely that I was in the beginning stages of a relationship with someone, she would leave me alone. This was not the case.

She had showed up at my house the next morning unannounced. She had made lunch and brought it with her, and she told me we should eat. I figured if I was polite, and ate with her, I could explain to her how important Claire was, and that I wasn't interested in pursuing any kind of relationship with Trish. I had patrol the night previous, so I was planning on sleeping in.

My phone rang and my heart dropped when I saw "Claire-Bear" pop up on the screen. "Claire?" I asked before even giving her a chance to say anything.

"No actually," a girl's voice answered. "Listen, my name is Marissa. My friend and I found her at the party we were at. I think someone might have drugged her or something. She's passed out on the ground. She's got bruises all over her arms. We assumed since you called her a million times you would be the one that's concerned."

My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. "Where are you?" I could barely speak. I was shaking. I parked in Claire's guest spot and slammed the door of my truck.

"We're in Seattle. An ambulance is on the way to get her."

"Thank you for calling," I shoved my phone in my sweats pockets before ripping them off as I ran into the woods. It would take me half the time to run to Seattle than it would take me to drive there.

Seth and Jacob were the only ones phased. Thank god. I couldn't take my mind off of her. Please god let her be okay. This is my fault. This is all my fault. I should've sent Trisha away. I should've tried harder to explain it to Claire.

_Shit man, I'll tell Emily, _Seth thought.

_Who the hell did she go with? You know she didn't go alone. Where the fuck was JC? He should've been looking out for her. _Jake thought.

_I'm going to beat the fucking shit out of him, Jake. You have no fucking idea. He follows that girl around like a lost puppy. She has told me that he's obsessed with her. Why do I have a feeling he had something to do with this? _My anger was taking my mind of the burning of my muscles.

My thoughts stayed on Claire the whole time. When I finally reached the very edge of the woods, I phased back without any thoughts towards Jacob. Thank god the woods went to the very edge of the hospitals property. I ran as fast as could be considered humanly and stopped at the front desk. "I need to see Claire Young. Where is she?"

The girl looked to be in her mid to late twenties. She smiled up at me before typing some things into her computer. "Young…Young…Young… Oh, we have a Clarissa Young."

"Yes, that's her. Where is she?"

"She is on the fifth floor in the Poison Control Center. Room 512. You just take this hallway straight to the end and there's an elevator."

"Thanks," I mumbled. As I walked towards the elevator, I felt the pull towards my imprint. I was beginning to become nervous. I had no idea what state she was in. The elevator beeped and I stepped out. My hands were uncontrollably shaking, but not because I was about to phase. I was scared, and in the pit of my stomach, I had a terrible feeling. Something wasn't right. Where was JC when all of this was happening? If he wasn't with her now then where was he?

I stopped in front of her room and took a minute to compose myself before I pushed the door open. It creaked open slowly, and I saw two nurses standing over her bed, in ugly, mint colored scrubs. I could hear quiet sobs coming from my Claire-Bear but the two nurses were standing in my view, blocking her beautiful face from me. "Claire? Baby, what's wrong?" I rushed over to her and she threw her arms around my neck.

"Quil," She sobbed.

I rubbed her back, "What happened?" I asked, addressing the nurses.

The blonde one sighed sadly. "Are you her boyfriend?"

"Best friend," I corrected, sighing.

"She's had a really rough night." The other nurse said. "She's going to be okay though. She just needs some rest. Her stomach had to be pumped so she'll feel a little off for a day or two. We want to keep her for observation for 24 hours and then if she's still doing well you can go ahead and take her home."

The blonde one began speaking again, "The doctor is going to come in when he's finished up with the patient he's consulting with and go over the details. She'll have a special diet that she's going to need to follow for the next few days. No smoking and absolutely no alcohol for a while."

After that they both smiled at her and told her to get some rest and to feel better.

She looked up at me through her long, now wet, lashes. "What happened?" I whispered. It suddenly didn't seem appropriate to speak any louder.

"I just- I mean I just wanted to get away. I heard there was a party here in town. I asked JC if he wanted to go. Like the old days, ya know?" I nodded my head and gave her a half smile. "The crazy part is, I didn't even have that much to drink. Only four or five. That's nothing for me." She shook her head a little, as if willing herself to remember whatever happened after she blacked out. "The last thing I remember is JC bringing me one more shot. After that, nothing. The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital."

My heart was pounding. "Claire, listen, Trish was over because I was trying to tell her that I'm not interested in her. I promise it was nothing more. I would never do that to you."

"I believe you," she breathed. And I knew she was telling me the truth. She wasn't the type to sugar coat things. Especially with me.

It was about fifteen minutes before the doctor arrived. "Carlisle!" Claire sang in delight.

"Hey, doc!" I smiled, overjoyed at the thought that my Claire would be getting the absolute best care.

"I heard you were in and I made sure you were my very own patient. I don't usually work in the Poison Control Center but I pulled some strings," He winked at her.

He checked all her vitals before pulling a folder of paperwork out. "So I have some good news and some bad news. What would you like to hear first, Claire?"

"Good news," she stated.

"You're going to be perfectly fine. That's the best news you could've heard tonight." He smiled warmly. "When I was going through your previous medical files, I see that something similar to this has happened before, but they never found the source. Is that correct?"

She blushed, "Yes. I was in Miami with some friends over spring break. I had like six drinks and then woke up in the hospital the next morning. My Mom had to come home from Saudi Arabia to take care of me." She winced at the memory. "I wasn't eighteen yet so I needed my guardian to pick me up." She explained further. "She wasn't very happy with me."

He nodded. He seemed to be taking in every word she was saying. "When I was reviewing your previous records, and I saw that this is not the first time this happened, I decided to take some blood when you first arrived. There could be several things happening. You could be allergic to alcohol, but considering your history, I doubt that's the problem." Claire blushed and Dr. Cullen smiled. "There could be an underlying illness causing these odd fainting and black out spells. But again, considering it's only happened twice, it's not very likely. So my coworkers and I ran some tests on the blood that was taken when you first arrived and we discovered something rather worrying." He paused for a long while.

"Doc, spit it out. The anticipation is killing us here."

He seemed, almost at a loss of words. Which never happened with this debonair doctor. He was incredibly sophisticated, well-spoken and well put together. "Claire, it seems that someone had slipped you a date rape drug."


	11. Knights in Shining Armor

My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. "Date rape? I was… drugged?" I finished, even though I'm pretty sure we all knew that's not what I was going to say.

"Clarissa, I need you to think really hard about what you remember from both of these nights. Explain to me the events you remember. The last things you can recall before you blacked out."

I was shaking my head, "I don't understand. There's no way this is happening." Quil was completely silent and it was starting to scare me a little bit. "The first time, umm, the last thing I remember is JC bought my friend and me drinks. I had a Corona and she had a shot of something. Tequila probably, and then he brought me outside because I started feeling light headed. He was the last one to bring me anything…" I trailed off.

Carlisle cleared his throat. "Claire, I know this will most likely be rather unpleasant for you, but we want to get you checked out by a doctor that is specialized in the female anatomy."

"A gynecologist?" Quil scoffed.

Doc smiled rather sadly, "It's standard procedure in cases like this. Don't worry, Claire. It's a very professional checkup. I will make sure you have the best of the best caring for you."

"Thank you, Doctor Cullen. I appreciate everything you've done for me," I smiled, and a tear slipped out.

"We just want to make sure that there are no tears or any damage done to you."

"I wasn't raped." I said through clenched teeth. "He wouldn't do that."

"It's a sensitive subject, dear. I understand that." With that he told us that he would give me some time to rest before sending in the nurses to further describe the checkup that would be happening to me later today. He patted me on the arm, his icy skin brushing against my smoldering skin. He gave me a dazzling smile and told me to feel better before exiting.

My head fell against the pillows that were stacked up behind me. I sighed heavily. "Quil, he wouldn't do that to me." I began sobbing again. "He wouldn't violate me like that."

He was shaking, "Claire, do not defend him to me. Don't." He could barely speak. "I am going to murder him next time I see him." He got up to leave.

"Please don't go, Quil." I began begging. "Please don't," I whispered. I grabbed his hand and held it to my chest. "I need you," I cried. "I really, really need you." I scooted over as much as I could in my bed, and he laid down next to me. I curled into him, my tears immediately soaking through his thin white shirt. "I'm sorry," I said through tears.

"Don't apologize for crying. Don't ever apologize for crying. You cry all you need to," he lulled, rocking me gently.

I fell asleep eventually. He hummed an old Quileute lullaby to me, and I dozed off against his hot chest.

When I woke up a few hours later, he was gone, and in his place was a note.

_ Hey, Sleepyhead. _

_I went to go grab you some decent grub. Enough with this prison food. Be back before you even have time to miss me. Give me a ring if you need anything._

_Love,_

_Your Overgrown Pup_

I smiled happily.

"Is that from Quil?" I heard JC's voice float from the corner of the room. My head snapped up.

"You're not welcome here." I said gruffly. "You need to go."

"I didn't do it." He was standing in the far corner of the room. Watching me from a distance. Chills ran up my spine. It didn't sit right with me. The way he was staring at me, I mean. It was like a lion watching a Giselle in the distance. Menacingly awaiting his prey. Waiting for her weakness. "I was there for you through everything. Since we were in elementary school. Why can't you just love me back? I know you love him," he scoffed. "You haven't said it yet, but I can tell. The way you look at him is the way I always dreamed that you'd look at me."

"JC, tell me why you did it. I don't understand. I thought we were friends. Best friends. Please give me some sort of explanation."

He took a few steps towards me. "I didn't do it. Well, I mean I did drug you. But I never raped you. I couldn't bring myself to do it." He was tearing up now. "Claire, let's runaway together." He took a few more strides towards me until he was next to my bed. "Let's go, we'll never have to see these people again." He pulled some of the tubes and needles out of my arm. I shrieked out in pain. Blood started seeping out from the craters he had made in my skin. "Come on, Claire. Let's go."

"I don't want to go!" I cried. "They're my family."

He grabbed my face in his hands. "Don't you want to be with me?"

"No!" I screamed. "I don't want to go anywhere with you!" he was now grabbing at me, trying to get me to stand up. "Let me go!" I yelled. I was beginning to wonder why no one had come in to see what was wrong.

He was pulling at my arms, smearing the thick, red blood all over my body, which he was now feeling. "Please, Claire," he was begging me now. I had changed out of the hospital robe and was in only a large t-shirt and a pair of black silk underwear.

I was crying now. I couldn't stop him. He was too strong for me and I was weak from going through so many tests.

One minute he was on me, grabbing at me. My breasts, face, bottom, legs, and the next he was off. Being yanked away by Embry and Jake and Seth. And then my blood stained body was being picked up by Quil's strong arms. Cradling me. Kissing my forehead.


	12. Claire's New Roommate

**Super short but the next chapter will be better.**

The only thing keeping me from skinning JC alive was the fact that my little Claire Bear was shaking in my arms. I was rocking her gently back and forth, rubbing her back softly with my large hand. Carlisle came in after the guys dragged JC away and checked up on Claire, making sure she wasn't injured from all the tubes that had been ripped from her skin. He hooked her back up, and gave me a soft wash cloth that was wet with warm water.

He kissed Claire on the forehead, and gave me a sad look and a pat on the back. "Call me if you two need anything."

I held up the wash cloth feeling a little bit awkward. I know he didn't think anything of giving me the task to wash her skin off, but after everything that's happened to her recently, I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. "Do you want me to..? Or would you rather..?"

"Do you mind?" She asked her lip still quivering.

"Of course not," I smiled at her sadly.

I started by gently cleaning her face. Wiping the tears away, and then kissing her on both cheeks. I then moved down to her arms, trailing down the now clean skin with kisses.

After she was all cleaned up, I gave her the food I had gone out to get her. That girl could eat like nobody's business and it made me love her even more. "Quil?" I heard her soft voice float through the quiet.

"Yes, my love?"

"Will you please come stay with me for a few weeks? I mean, you don't have to. I'm just not comfortable staying on my own. I mean, I can go stay at Aunt Emily's or I can stay on your couch or I'm sure Leah will let me crash at her house for a little while."

"I would actually feel much better if I could stay with you for a little while." I cleared my throat. "I want to be able to protect you, and keep you safe. We don't know what he's going to do."

She smiled at me softly and grabbed my hand out of my lap. She started humming. "I don't want to ever feel like that again, Quil." I looked at her questioningly. "I've never stuck around for some guy that makes me feel like shit. You're not about to be the exception to that, okay?"

I cleared my throat, "I never meant to hurt you. I swear to god, Claire. I would never ever betray your trust like that. I don't want anyone else."

She shook her head, "I believe you. I'm just telling you in advance." A sad twinkled sparked in her eyes. "I've never had anyone to look out for me. I mean, sure, I have my friends, but for the most part I always took care of myself. I've never stood for a guy treating me _any_ less than I deserve to be treated. It's not about to start now. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am," I stood giving her an army salute.


	13. Say Yes to the Dress

"Ugh it's so good to be home," I exclaimed, breathing in the familiar scent of Bath and Body Works "Sweet Pea" plug-in air fresheners. Quil set my bag down. Aunt Emily had come and grabbed a few of the essentials for me while I was in the hospital. Although I had only been there three days it had felt like an eternity

"I'm just happy you're feeling better," Quil sighed. Ahhh, poor Quil. I certainly had put him through the ringer this week. "Ummm, Claire? Where would you like me to put my stuff down?" He made a gesture towards the small duffle bag he had packed.

"Oh, right. You can just go put it in my room." His eyes widened at my response. "I mean, you don't have to stay in my room." I added at his strange reaction. "You can stay in one of the spare rooms, or on the couch. Wherever you feel comfortable."

He shook his head slightly, as if snapping out of his thoughts, "No, no, that's okay. I'll take your bag up too."

Quil had bought new locks for my front door, and my back sliding glass door that led to the little garden. JC didn't have keys as far as I was aware but I felt more comfortable replacing them. Better safe than sorry.

He was up the stairs and back down within a few minutes. "I'll put the new locks on now." I ran up and showered while he was doing that. I hadn't had a proper shower in a few days and my muscles were thanking me for taking the hot water. But my mind was running a million miles a minute. The past few days had me thinking about the real risk being with Quil could put me in. He could imprint on any random girl on the street and I would be absolutely crushed. When I saw his ex and him together, he wasn't even being friendly towards her and look at all the trouble it caused. I couldn't even imagine having to fake happiness at him finding his one true love. Especially if they acted anything like Jake and Ness or Sam and Emily.

He was just finishing up when I was walking down the stairs. "Thank you," I couldn't properly express my gratitude towards him. He had done so much for me in just this past week, let alone the whole time I've known him. He smiled brightly at me and I couldn't help but grab him in an embrace. His arms enveloped me in a bear hug and I nuzzled my face into his warm chest. "Thank you for everything. Seriously. I appreciate you more than I can even express to you. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for listening to me. Thank you for spending time with me. Thank you for taking care of me and protecting me. Thank you for laughing and crying with me. Thank you for being you. And thank you for liking me for me." I was tearing up. I had known this man for a few short months, but in those few shorts months he had changed my life. I spoke again before he could say anything else. "Quil, I'm scared. I'm really scared. Neither of us have said it yet, but I think we both know how we feel about each other. But the thing is, you could go and imprint on any old girl on the street. I'm scared to be with you, Quil. I can't ever imagine a life without you. Not a happy one. But there's so much risk in being with you. I'm terrified."

"You make it easy," he spoke softly, replying only to the first part of my short monologue. I assumed that was his way of avoiding what neither of us wanted to face. I raised my eyebrows, silently questioning him. "You make it easy to be with you. Claire, you don't understand how I feel about you. Your happiness is my happiness. Your pain is my pain. If you cry, I cry. If you laugh, I can't help but laugh as well. I want nothing more than to take care of you and protect you. I want to be the man that has the privilege of being with you. That includes the little things. Claire, I want to be the man you fight with over what to watch on TV. I'll come home after a long patrol shift. Take a hot shower while you sit with your back against the tub and talk my ear off about your day, I'll eat the shitty dinner you made me, and I'll love every bite just because you made it. We'll sit in the living room. I just want to watch Football or Baseball. I want to relax after a long day with the guys. But you'll argue with me and say that I've been surrounded by enough testosterone all day and you should get to choose what we watch. And of course you'll win because let's face it you have me wrapped around your cute fucking little pinkie. I'll end up watching seven episodes of Say Yes to the Dress with you. You'll cry every time one of the girls on the show finds her dream wedding dress. Because you're the sweetest girl in the world and just seeing someone so happy makes you that incredibly happy. You'll fall asleep curled up against my arm and I'll carry you up two flights of stairs to tuck you into bed. I'll get in next to you and you'll subconsciously burrow into my side. And I'll fall asleep the luckiest bastard in the world." I was full on crying now, small sobs escaping my lips every so often. "And the next morning, you'll wake up first, because you almost always do. And you'll give me a full thirty seconds before you shake me awake. You'll tell me about the dream you had that night because you have the craziest and most realistic dreams. We'll lay in each other's arms as long as we possibly can before I have to go to work. When I'm about to walk out the door you'll beg me to stay with you. Because we can't ever get enough of each other. It'll take all my strength to be able to tell you no. You'll be annoyed at first but after half an hour you'll realize you're being silly. You'll pounce on me the second I get off of work and shower me with love and affection because you just want to show me how much you missed me even though we were only apart for ten hours." He took a breath and his beautiful brown eyes were tearing up as well. "I love you, Claire. I'm head over heels in love with you."

"I love you too, Quil. More than you'll ever know."

He used his thumbs and gently wiped away my tears. He led me over to the couch and gently pushed me back. He kneeled in front of me and took both of my hands in one of his giant ones. "Imprinting is a really complicated thing. When a wolf imprints, he automatically fills the spot of whatever she needs in her life. Whatever that may be, he will break his back trying to accomplish it for her. When Jacob imprinted on Nessie, he started out as her protector, and as she grew older, he became a friend, and then her best friend, and then their friendship blossomed into a relationship. Claire, when you were three, I imprinted on you." He put his hand up, asking me to let him finish. I nodded my head. "When it happened, I felt disgusted with myself. It was before Jacob had imprinted on Nessie so we were all shocked. But there was never any romantic feelings. I just wanted to make you happy. Your parents understandably flipped out. But your dad never could get over it. Your mom grew to love me. She understood me in a way. Because she had seen Sam with Emily so much. When you were six, there was a coven of vampires that we couldn't get rid of. They were a pack of five which is extremely rare for leeches. The imprints are always put in what we call the 'holding tank' when we're on a hunt. One of the leeches got too close to the holding tank for comfort and someone accidentally let it slip to your parents. Well, that was the last straw for your Dad. Within two weeks he had packed everything up and left. I was gutted when you left, Claire. I spent months on end as my wolf form. I traveled the country in search for you. God, I promise I tried so fucking hard to find you. I knew you'd need me. And I knew I needed you." He looked at my face. Which must've been beyond shocked. "Say something, Claire."

I reached my hands out and cupped his face. "You're really mine?" I breathed.

He smiled and nodded. "Yes, I am."

I pressed my lips to his gently at first, and then he deepened it. "I have so many questions for you to answer." I kissed him again. Longer this time.

"Ask me anything." I leaned in and kissed him again. Fireworks were going off in my belly.

"First, tell me you're mine," I said, barely pulling apart from him.

He scoffed, "Baby, I am all yours." I jumped on him, attacking his lips with kisses.


	14. Down and Dirty

Claire was trying to kill me. It was more than clear to me. I was sitting at Embry's kitchen table with him and Jake. Claire had gone to Seattle for the day with Emily and Leah. She was going to sign up for her classes and then meet up with the girls afterwards to for a "GIRLS DAY." Imagine that as a high pitched squeal followed by insane giggles. Anyway, they had been gone all day, and Claire had called me a few hours ago to let me know they had just finished up their shopping and they were about to get on the road. They were due back within the next half hour. "She's trying to kill me, guys. She prances around all day in the sexiest little outfits. Fuck me, I mean really."

Embry shuddered, "I swear to god, if I see your penis rise…"

"No, seriously. She wears these really low cut tops, and super short-shorts, or little tiny skirts. Or fuck, these dresses that cling to every curve. And I mean every curve."

Jacob laughed, "Quil, I have some news for you. That's how she's always dressed. I mean, maybe not to that extreme, but she's always dressed rather…"

Embry shrugged, cutting Jacob off, "She knows what she looks like. I don't think there's anything wrong with that."

I growled, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Quil, be real here. Claire is hot." I stood up, ready to pounce. "Sit down, Quil. I don't want Claire. She's like a little sister to me. I'm just saying, you know her background. You see the way guys fucking gape at her when she walks in the room. And she's funny, smart, and knows how to dress. She's got a lot going for her. You lucky bitch. I really don't know how she was unattached when she showed up here. She is well aware of what she can get guys to do. Just because she looks the way she does. Including you, you son of a bitch." He and Jake both started laughing.

"Trust me when I say she could dress in a sleeping bag and I'd still do whatever she told me to. She already has my balls in a jar. And it's only been what two days since…" I trailed off. We were trying not to tell anyone that we were an item yet. We had wanted to tell Sam first, before he could see it in anyone's thoughts. We knew he probably wouldn't take too kindly to it. And trust me when I say Claire was doing her very damn best to make sure that I couldn't keep her out of my mind all day. Whenever Sam and I were phased at the same time, I had a constant stream of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" playing in my mind.

"Since what?" Embry asked, his eyes widening. "Wait… did you and Claire..?"

"Get down and dirty?" Jake asked suddenly catching onto what Em was saying.

"No!" I yelled. _Fuck I wish._ "I-I told her about the imprint. And why her parents took her and her siblings away." They collectively started yelling at me for not telling them sooner. "I promised Claire I wouldn't say anything to anyone until we got the chance to talk to Sam. All we did was kiss."

Embry stood up and started running around his small apartment clapping his hands crazily. "Ladies and gentlemen, after 15 years of abstinence Quil is finally about to get some!" He wolf whistled and Jake soon stood and joined him, cheering and whistling.

Behind us we heard a feminine voice clear her throat. We all jumped up, startled by the sudden entrance of estrogen. We saw Claire standing there with one eyebrow raised, "What was that, boys?"

"That was nothing, Claire. That was absolutely nothing. They're just being idiots." I turned to see that they had retreated to the living room, probably feeling guilty. I continued before she could possibly think I had anything but honorable intentions for her. Well okay, I did have a few dishonorable intentions. But they were mostly honorable. Mostly. "Did you buy anything?" I asked, closing the distance and pressing a chaste kiss to her lips.

"I thought we weren't going to tell anyone until we had the chance to tell Uncle Sam?" She said it almost like a question.

I sighed and rubbed at my forehead. I had gotten very little sleep since I had brought Claire home from the hospital. She was on edge, which meant my nerves were through the roof. Every time she heard the smallest creak of her place settle, she had me go check all three stories of it. Hey, I'm not saying that I mind, or that I blame her. She'd been to hell and back and I just wanted her to feel comfortable again. And if that meant staying up for a year straight to keep a constant patrol over her, then I would do that. I was just extremely tired. Between business meetings, patrol, and still staying social, I had a lot going on. "It was an accident. I mean it just- it just slipped out."

A worry crease formed between her eyebrows. "It's just, I finally have a family. A real family. I'm really happy here. I don't want to do anything to risk that."

I gently pressed my thumb to the creases marking her face. She got the hint and relaxed her expression. I pulled her close to me. "There's a bonfire tonight. We'll go over to Sam and Emily's early and we'll talk to them both together." I kissed her forehead.

"Thank you," she smiled brightly at me. I smiled back before glancing at her. She was wearing form fitting olive green pants. They were slightly high-waisted, and the white tee she was wearing was very simple. It had the Jurassic Park logo on it in bold black lettering. She was wearing booties with a chunky heel, which were probably a few inches tall. Her hair was pulled back in two braids that a formed a sort of headband, and then the rest was knotted messily in a bun that sat at the nape of her neck. She was dressed extremely conservatively considering the way she had been dressing as of late. Which only led me even further to believe that she found torturing me extremely fun.

Two hours later we found ourselves at Sam and Emily's house. They hadn't returned from the grocery store yet, but the doors on the rez were never locked, and people in the pack left Sam and Emily's as they pleased. We entered and sat down at the kitchen table, waiting patiently. Well, Claire was waiting patiently. I was waiting very impatiently.

I was staring at Claire. My eyes could never drink in enough of her. She was stunning. I often wondered what things would've been like if her parents had never taken her away. I doubted we'd be together already. But at least I would've had my best friend through the years. I also often think about how hard it must have been for her. Sure, it was fucking hell for me. They tore her away from me and she was my world. But at least I had a support system. I had a family of people behind me. She was young and alone. Her parents denied my very existence. They purposely led her to believe she was crazy. The thought makes me sick. Claire needed me growing up. All the heart break she went through. That never would have happened if she had stayed. She could've had a normal life. She could've gone to high school here on the rez. She would've had a whole pack of brothers to look out for her. Protect her. Keep her safe. On the other hand, the reason she is the woman she is today is because of everything she's been through. And I'm madly in love with the woman she is. The thing about Claire is, she's captivating. Everyone that meets her just can't help but like her. She's got an infectious spirit. The pack adores her. All her cousins look up to her so much. Yet somehow, she has no idea. She's just amazing.

"How many girls have you slept with?" Claire's sweet voice very quickly broke me out of my thoughts.

"What?" I sputtered.

"I think I have the right to know," she said firmly. "Based on what you were talking about to Jake and Em."

I sighed, making a mental note to yell at them. "Claire that was just them messing around. I- I haven't really thought about- you know- having… well with you… I mean…" She raised her eyebrows at my eloquent speech. "Okay listen, I love you more than anything in the world. Of course I want to be intimate with you in that way, but I'm in no rush." She stayed silent, clearly waiting for me to answer her question. "Five girls." Her eyes widened slowly but I could tell she was trying not to react. "I haven't so much as made eyes at another girl since I imprinted though." I added for good measure. She stayed silent and my chest got hot with anger. "Well how many guys have you slept with? I know you were quite the partier before you came back here." A bunch of the guys walked in as I said the last two sentences. As soon as they left my mouth I instantly regretted it. I hadn't intended to accuse her of anything. Although I can't lie and say I wasn't curious. I saw the hurt in her eyes almost immediately.

"Excuse me?" She said in disbelief. "Did you really just fucking say that?" She shoved away from the table and stood up. "Is that supposed to be a fucking joke?" She was growing louder and I couldn't even be angry because she had every right to yell at me.

Embry walked to her side, "Come on, Claire." He tried leading her away but she still stood there in shock.

"No, I want him to answer the question. Was that supposed to be a joke?"

I stood and reached my arm out to her. She jerked away from me like I was on fire. My heart panged. "I didn't mean it the way it came out."

"Then what was it supposed to mean? Because it sounded like you just accused me of fucking random guys."

"Come on guys," I heard Jake say to everyone standing in the doorway. "Give them some privacy."

She was crying now and my heart broke in half. I wanted nothing more than to wrap her up in my arms. "I never thought you of all people would judge me for my past. You of all people know what fucking hell I've been through."

"Claire, baby, I swear to god I didn't mean it as an accusation."

She sighed, "I think you should just give me some space."

"Claire, please, don't do this. Please."

She walked away, grabbing her bag and car keys off the kitchen table. "One," she sighed.

"What?"

"I dated a guy for a year and a half. He's the only person I've ever had sex with. One. I've slept with one guy." And then she left.

**It's always something, isn't it? Please review! And I just wanted to mention that if you're in search of a good Quil/Claire fic then definitely check out L. 5914's "The Half Life." It's phenomenal. **


	15. Nothing Could Prepare Me

Well I officially felt like an asshole. I officially _was_ an asshole. I hadn't intended to imply anything. It was pretty damn well impossible for me to think of Claire in a negative light. I had just thrown the question back out at her, not realizing how it sounded. I thought back to her words in the hospital. "I've never stood for a guy treating me any less than I deserve to be treated." Fuck man. I'm such an asshole. This fucking gorgeous woman who I've literally spent the latter half of my life dedicated to is here now. She loves me and she wants to be with me. What the fuck am I doing? I cannot continue to do this to her. She deserves so much more than me. So much more than this.

"I want to go home guys," I breathed out.

I was sitting on the couch at Embry and I's house. "You are home, bro." Embry rolled his eyes at me.

"No, home to her." Jake and Embry had made me give her some space for a few hours and it was slowly killing me. "I need to see her. You guys don't get it. I'm her imprint, I can sense when something's wrong and she's not okay."

"Really," Jacob scoffed. "I don't understand?"

"It's different with you and Nessie. Claire and I were separated for years. Do you have any idea what it's like to know your imprint is somewhere hurt and sad or fucking broken but you can do absolutely nothing about it? For years I would be crippled by the pain she was in. Do you not remember? She had days that were too painful to get out of bed. I could barely walk some days. So don't sit here and tell me you fucking know. You and your imprint haven't been separated for more than a week. My imprint and I were separated for twelve fucking years." I stood up, growing angrier by the minute. "You don't know the half of it. She turned to drugs and drinking to try and numb the pain. I went months on end as a wolf because I had so much anger and sadness in me that I couldn't even bring myself to phase back. And you know what, at least I had a family of people to support me. She had no one. She was alone and scared."

Jake stood with his hands in front of him. "Okay, Quil, you're right. I have no idea what you both went through. Especially Claire because I was never in her head like I am in yours. But I do know one thing. You have a beautiful, smart, funny, and all around pretty kick ass girl in the palm of your hands and you're fucking up here. We're your family, and we've watched you beat yourself up for years. We've watched you in pain every day for over a decade. None of us want that for you. We love how happy you are now. But we're also Claire's family now. And although we don't know her background as well as you do, we know she's had a rough time being away from you. Listen, all I'm trying to say is that we love Claire. We want the best for her just like we want the best for you. What I'm trying to say is, you need to be the best for her. She's our family and we don't want her going anywhere. She finally found her home after twelve years of yearning for it. Don't scare her away."

Embry stood now, and made his way over to us. "We know how bad you want to give her the world. You just have to remember how fragile she is, man."

I took a few deep breaths. "I want to go to her. I gave her a few hours of space, but I don't want her ever thinking I don't care enough to chase after her. I would run to the ends of the Earth for her."

"You basically did," Em mumbled, rubbing his head and falling back on the couch.

It's only about a fifteen minute drive to her place. Ten if I was really speeding (and I almost always was.) When I got there I knocked several times with no answer. Her SUV was there, so I began to panic a little bit. I pushed the door open, again beginning to panic. It wasn't an uncommon practice to leave your doors unlocked around here, but ever since the JC fiasco she had been extra cautious about locking the door at all hours of the day. "Claire-Bear?" I called out. No answer.

My heart began racing, and I darted up the stairs. I continually called her name and still no answer. I reached the third and final floor. The top floor was just the master bedroom and bathroom, but there was a small landing right out front of her door. She had a small table on the side of her big bedroom door, and it always had a vase of fresh flowers (currently Sunflowers) and then a small decorative bowl that she always kept her keys and phone in as well as a few bits and bobs. Her keys were there as well as her phone. "Claire-Bear?" I called one last time. No answer.

I opened the door and entered her room. She kept it incredibly neat usually, so my heart beat sped up a little bit when I saw the clothes she had been wearing strewn haphazardly across the floor. Her bright ocean blue lace bra and matching lace panties were the last things taken off, thrown in front of the bathroom door. Her giant room had periwinkle walls, her king sized bed was made neatly with crisp white sheets and a white comforter, and it was placed in the center of the wall, framed by two big windows, that had white, chiffon drapes. On the wall opposite of the door was a mirrored vanity that had a slew of products and perfumes sitting neatly atop it. Her walk in closet was closed but it sat about six feet away from the door of her bathroom.

I stopped in front of the bathroom door, kicking her panties and bra out of the way. I could hear some sort of rustling around in there, as well as a soft spoken voice. I pushed the door open, scared of what I may find. Steam spilled out the door as I slowly cracked it open. "Claire?" I called before looking in. She didn't say anything, but her scent filled the air, so I knew she was there. I poked my head in and nearly dropped to the floor instantly. When I say nothing could have prepared me for what was before me…

Nothing could have prepared me for what was before me

**Any thoughts? xoxo**


	16. Surprise, Bitch

Nothing could have prepared me for what was before me.

The mirrors were fogged up, and the whole bathroom smelled overwhelmingly like Claire with a mix of something really sweet, like cupcakes.

Claire's claw foot tub was filled, frothy bubbles nearly spilling out over the top. Her beautiful hair had been taken out of the braids, and its curls spilled out over the side of the tub, brushing the white tiled floor. She had earbuds in, and was listening to some boyband that I've never heard of. "Claire?" I called in shock.

The only thing I heard was the movement of the water as Claire whirled around, and gasped in surprise. "Quil," she breathed.

Her eyes darted to the fluffy white towels that were hanging on the hook.

"Oh, shit, sorry." I mumbled as I backed out of the room and closed the door behind me. I sat at the edge of her bed and waited for her to emerge. I tried to keep my mind off the fact that Claire's glorious naked body was only feet from me just seconds ago.

She came out a few minutes later, wrapped up in the towel that hardly covered anything. It literally stopped about an inch under her butt. It was so thin that I could see her nipples harden and poke out due to the temperature change. Her body was still damp, and shining. Her hair was slightly damp in certain places, and it fell beautifully to one side. "Is everything okay, Quil?"

"I'm sorry, Claire I didn't meant to just walk in on you. I just got nervous that you left the door unlocked, and then you weren't answering when I was calling you. I'm really sorry, Claire." I think we both knew the last sentence wasn't just about me walking in on her.

She took a seat next to me on the bed and sighed. "I know, Quil. It's alright, don't worry about it." She paused for a second, "About walking in on me."

"I didn't mean it the way it came out, Claire. I-I-I just threw the question back at you because I was taken back."

I turned to see her wide eyes staring at me. "I never expected you… I never expected you to have been with that many girls. I mean, I don't know, I'm sorry for bringing it up. I just… I'm surprised I guess." We were silent for a few minutes. "I don't know why I'm so surprised. You're an extremely good looking guy. It's just when I had sex with Breydon, it didn't feel right. It felt extremely wrong actually." I cringed at the thought of anyone else's hands on her.

I didn't want to have to explain what my life was like before her. I guess it was inevitable that she would know eventually. I just hoped she would understand that I was a completely changed man. From the moment I saw her I was totally different. "When I was younger, I was all about girls. I was a player. I was the asshole that your older brothers told you to stay away from. I was young and stupid and all I cared about was women." I grabbed her hand and pressed a few kisses on it. "I'm not like that anymore, Claire." I continued placing soft kisses up her arm stopping at her neck. "I'm all about you, baby. There's no one else I want." Her breathing quickened as I began kissing her neck, softly pulling on her skin and leaving a trail of light hickies.

"Quuuil," she moaned. I broke away from her. "No," she poked her bottom lip out at me. "Don't stop," she breathed.

"I don't want to do this like, well, this. Not with you. Not after you were just upset with me. You're a queen and that's how I intend to treat you." Her green eyes widened and she looked up at me, wrapping her towel tighter around her. "I want to take my time with you. I want to show you how beautiful you really are. I don't want our first time to be on a day like this." Her eyes shown with disappointment. I kneeled down in front of her and grabbed her chin gently in my hand. "This isn't me rejecting you, gorgeous. Trust me when I say I would love to take you on this bed right now." I noticed how deep and husky my voice got. "I want to make you scream my name. I want to make your body tremble with desire for me. I want to feel all of you. I want to lose myself inside of you. But not like this. You may not understand now, baby. But you will. When the time comes, you'll understand. You deserve the world and I intend on giving you it."

She leaned forward and kissed me feverishly. "I love you," she kissed me again before I could reply. She sighed, "I've never had a guy say anything like that to me. Ever." She laughed without humor. "I've never in my life encountered a guy that encouraged me to wait to have sex with him."

"What about Breydon?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.

She blushed, "He wasn't very nice to me. Like at all."

"Elaborate, please." I felt my chest get hot with anger.

"Well, it was a very toxic relationship. I was a glutton for punishment I guess. I-I didn't like myself. I've done a lot of bad stuff in my life, Quil. I thought I deserved the things he did to me. I don't want to say he was the only problem. With any guy I've ever dated I was always distant. So that was a factor in it. I don't know, I was just never a serious relationship type of girl. I never knew why until now. He was very, very possessive over me. I don't know," she shivered. "He scared me. We were together for nearly two years because to be completely honest I was terrified of him. At first he was sweet. Really sweet. But the more comfortable he got with me the scarier he got. We fought all the time. Like, bad, Quil. Really bad. My neighbors used to call the cops because they got scared for me. We would literally scream at each other. He used to make me feel really insecure. He was always flirting with other girls, cheating on me." She was silent for a few minutes. "When we would fight, he used to squeeze my wrists so hard I would get bruises in the shape of his hand prints." I growled at this. How dare any man think they have the right to lay their hands on a woman? "Yeah it just wasn't good."

I heard the front door open and slam a few minutes later after a shuffle of feet. "Get dressed, Claire. I think people are here to check on you." I kissed her lips. "I love you."


	17. Cinderelly, Cinderelly

After that day in my room things with Quil and I got even better. I cooled down on trying to seduce him. I understood where he was coming from, and I realized I wasn't the only one in the equation, and if I needed to give him time then that was perfectly okay. I was cutting him some slack basically.

It had been about a month and a half since we last saw JC in the hospital, and I was helping Quil pack up his stuff to go back home. "Thanks for staying with me, Quil. I felt much safer with you here." I kissed him on the cheek.

"Ya know I can stay longer if you'd like…" he trailed off. I think he was more than a little nervous to leave me on my own.

"I know, Quil. But, I don't know, I'm ready. I don't want to continue to let him take my freedom, ya know? I want my independence back." He smiled at me and kissed me softly. He pulled me close to him to hug and kiss me goodbye. "Hey, I know it's kind of last minute, but next week there's this event in Seattle. My parents got invited but they're in Cairo right now so they can't make it. It's at a museum honoring today's archeologists. They asked me if I would make an appearance for them." He was nodding, taking in all the words I was saying. "It's super formal. I have to wear a gown and everything. Anyway, I was wondering if maybe you'd be my plus one to it so that I don't have to go alone."

He grinned from ear to ear, "I would love that. Haven't had to break out my tux in a while." I inwardly swooned at the thought of Quil in a tux. He placed a soft kiss on my neck. "And trust me," he gave me an appraising look. "I cannot wait to see you in that gown."

The week went by much faster than I would've liked. It took two trips to Port Angeles and one to Seattle to FINALLY find the perfect gown for the event. Of course Leah, Emily, and all my baby cousins were more than happy to go along for the ride. And I think the men of the pack were happy to have just a little less estrogen in the house. Though after every shopping trip, Quil would run out of the house when he heard my SUV pull up. His face would light up as though he hadn't seen me in weeks, and he'd pull me into a huge embrace before throwing me over his shoulder and taking me inside for dinner.

Before I knew it, it was time to get ready for the event. I always found getting ready for things very therapeutic. Doing my makeup and hair. And the morning of an event I'd always pamper myself. Get my nails done, put on a face mask and soak in a hot bubble bath for an hour.

We had to leave around four to make it there on time, but of course I wasn't finished getting ready until five. Quil patiently waited downstairs for me. My dark brown hair, had been teased slightly, so it was full of body. My gown was exquisite. It was red, form fitting all the way down until the very bottom where it flared out ever so slightly. The top was strapless, with a large v-cut, showing just the right amount of cleavage to still be considered classy. My makeup was done very naturally, with a red lip to match my gown almost exactly. I wasn't wearing any jewelry other than a simple diamond ring. Though my shows were hidden underneath my dress, they were four inch stilettos, completely bedazzled.

I made my way down the stairs, shocked when I saw a lot of the pack sitting in my living room. It only took a second of scanning the room to find the wolf I was looking for. Though he looked incredibly dapper in his black and white tux, I honestly preferred him in his usual sweats and a white t-shirt. His hair has been slightly gelled back. I was already thinking of how I couldn't wait to mess it up later tonight.

Quil walked to the end of the stairs and grabbed my waist, pulling me close to him. "You look beautiful," he whispered into my hair, though half the people in the room could hear him.

I smiled at him before directing my attention to the rest of the room. "What are you all doing here?"

Uncle Sam spoke first, "Your aunt is crazy."

I laughed, "Tell me something I don't know." I looked towards her, rolling my eyes. "Why are you crying?" I sighed.

She sniffed, "I've waited for this moment so long."

I was confused, "For me and Quil to go to a banquet?"

She shook her head no, fiercely. "To see both of you so happy."

Quil and I looked at each other at the same time, and we both smiled.


End file.
